Converter.



No 795,092 PATENTED JULY 18, 1905- R. BAGGALBY & E. W. LINDQUIST.

GONVERTER APPLICATION FILED APR. 8. 1904.

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5 R O T N E V s I s s E N u w No. 795,092. PATBNTED JULY 18, 1906.

R. BAGGALBY & E. W. LINDQUIST.

CONVERTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1904.

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No. 795,092. I JPA'IENTED JULY 18, 1905 R. BAGGALEY & E. w. LINDQUIST.

CONVERTER.

APPLICATION mum APR. 8, 1904.

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PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH BAGGALEY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AND EDWVARD W. LINDQUIST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SAID LIN DQUIST ASSIGsNOR TO SAID BAGGALEY.

CONVERTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent .No. 795,092, dated July 18, 1905. Application filed April 3, 1904. Seria1No. 202,174.

To (all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, RALPH BAGGALEY, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and EDWARD W. LINDQUIST, of Chicago, Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Converters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of a converter provided with our invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the controlling-valve 13, showing the valve open. Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the Valve closed. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a portion of the converter. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line VV of Fig. A. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the converter on a smaller scale, showing automatic mechanical devices for operating the valve directly instead of the pneumatic devices of the other figures. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the valve and a portion of the converter-head, illustrating the device of Fig 6. Fig. 8 shows the application of the invention to the control of valves other than the airblast valve.

In the operation of Bessemer converters it is necessary that the air-blast be turned on before the converter is moved into a blowing position, since otherwise the molten contents, meeting no resistance, will flow into the twyers and will chill therein in a solid mass in each twyer-orifice, so that the charge must be poured from the converter, and it cannot again be used until after these solid fillings have been punched or drilled out. It frequently happens that the workmen negligently fail to turn on the blast before the converter is righted or brought into blowing position, and the result of such carelessness is that the converter may be put out of service for some days before the necessary repairs can be made. This is especially apt to happen in the operation of converters for bessemerizing copper matte, when the converter has to be tipped and righted frequently during the blow for the purpose of pouring off the slag, and where at each tipping the blast should be turned off when the twyers are uncovered by the tipping of the vessel and must again be turned on before the converter has been righted sufiiciently for the molten bath to cover the twyers. Our invention prevents these accidents; and it consists in providing automatic mechanism connecting the air-valve of the converter with the converter shell, the connection being either a direct mechanical connection or an indirect pneumatic or electrical connection, which will automatically close the air-valve when the converter is tipped forward into a pouring position or into the position which it occupies when receiving a charge of molten material and which will open the valve when the converter is turned back toward a blowing position and before it has moved back far enough to cover the twyers with the molten bath. In this way we render it impossible for the accidents above mentioned to occur, and thus by a self-acting and reliable device We provide for the opening and closing of the air-valve at the times necessary for that purpose, and we prevent it from being closed at a time when injury would result from its closure.

The invention is applicable not only to the control of the air-blast, but also to the automatic control of the flow of water through the water-jackets and the supply of oil to the burners of a converter of the kind described in Ralph Baggaleys Patent N 0. 7 16238, dated December 8, 1903, for it is important in the operation of such converter that the flow of water he stopped and the flame extingushed when the converter is not under blast, and in the case of the oil-supply it is necessary that it should also be controllable by hand in ad.- dition to the automatic control, and we therefore provide the oil-pipe and its associated steam or air blast pipe with a hand-operated valve in addition to the automatic devices as hereinbefore described.

In Figs. 1 to 5, which illustrate the preferred form of our invention, 2 represents the converter-shell; 3, the mouth of the converter;

we show two positions of the converter, the one shown by full lines being that in which the converter is blown and in which the blast should be turned on at the twyers. 7 is the air-valve, 'whose stem 8 is connected to a hand-lever 9. This lever is also operated automatically by an air-cylinder 10, whose piston -rod 11 is connected with the lever, so that when air-pressureis admitted back of the piston it will move the lever to open the valve, and when the air-pressure is exhausted the piston will be moved back by a spring 12, and thus will close the valve. The cylinder 10 is controlled by an auxiliary valve 13, (shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3,) which is rotary within a casing 1 1, having an exhaust-port 15 and a supply-port 16 connected with the blastmain bya pipe 16', as shown in Fig. 4:. Ithas also a port 17, which leads to the cylinder 10. The valve 13 is rotated by a lever 18, which is connected by a rod 19 with the convertershell, so that as the converter is tipped on its axis it will move the lever and will rock the auxiliary valve 13, which is in the axial line of the converter.

blast must be turned on at the twyers, the valve 13 will be at the'position shown in Fig. 2, in which air under the pressure of a blast will enter the port 16, will pass through the port 17, and will actuate the cylinder 10 so as to open the main blast-valve 7, and as the airpressure will be Inaintainedin the cylinder 10 as long as the converter is in blowing position it will prevent the valve from being closed and the air-blast from being cut off until the converter is again tipped forward, When it is thus tipped forward, it will move the valve 13 into the position shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the pipe 17, leading to the cylinder 10, will be cut off from the pressure-port 16, and it will be put into communication with the exhaust-port 15, and the spring 12 will automatically move the piston-rod 11 back and will actuate the lever 9, so as to close the blast- ,valve 7. It will remain thus closed until the converter is again brought toward a blowing position, at which time the valve 13 will be moved into the position shown in Fig. 2 and the piston-rod 11 will be actuated to open the blast-valve, as above described.

In Figs. 6 and 7 we show a modification of the device in which the blast-valve 7 is operated directly by the connection of the lever 9 with a cam-groove 20 on the converter-head, or it may be so moved by'any part attached thereto. When the converter approaches blowing position, the lever is moved by the cam so as to open the blast-valve, and it is held open thereby until the converter is tipped forward, at which time it is automatically closed.

In Fig. 8 we show the apparatus constructed for the automatic control of the oil-burners, as well as the water-jacket supply to the converter. 21 21 are the oil-burners adapted to supply a jet of gas or oil sprayed with Therefore when the con .verter is in blowing position, at which the steam or air, and 22 22.are the valves by which the oil and steam or air blast pipes are controlled. The converter is water-jacketed,

the water being supplied by a pipe 24, concontents, when a grade of blister-copper or even white metal has been reached it may at times be found useful to heat up the bath by means of the oil-jets even during the act of pouring blister-copper and, as a consequence, when the converter is tipped forward to admit of pouring. It is also useful sometimes to use the oil-burners to melt out and thus to drain and to thoroughly clean the inside of the converter-lining. The best results are obtained in doing this work with the converter tipped forward and with the oil-jets in full operation while the converter stands in this position to slowly drain itself. To cover contingencies such as these and for any other desired purpose, we also make provision for operating the oil-jets by hand and entirely independent of the automatic movement of the valves to the burners, as hereinbefore described. In Fig. 8 we show a device which should be employed with the oil-burners namely, a hole 31, adjacent to each burner, perforated through the side of the converter and flaring from the outside inwardly, so that a punching-bar or chisel may be inserted and so that it may have a considerable range of radial movement for the purpose of removing accretions that sometimes form at or near the burner-orifices.

Those skilled in the art will be able to modify the invention in many ways, since What we claim is 1. A tipping converter having a fluid-supply valve, and automatic means for fully opening said valve when the converter approaches blowing position and completely closing said valve when the converter is tipped; substantially as described.

2. A tipping-converter having a blast-valve and twyers, and means whereby the valve is automatically opened to admit air to all the twyers when the converter approaches blowing position, and closed to cut off air from all the twyers when the converter is tipped; substantially as described.

3. A tipping converter having a blast-valve, a cylinder for moving it, and an auxiliary valve actuated automatically when the converter is moved, and arranged to apply pressure to the cylinder when the converter is in blowing position; substantially as described.

4. ,A tipping converter having a blast-valve, acylinder for movingit, and an auxiliary valve actuated automatically when the converter is moved, and arranged to apply pressure to the cylinder when the converter is in blowing position,said cylinder being actuated by the blastpressure supplied to the converter; substantially as described.

5. A tipping converter having a pipeand valves supplying a cooling stream of water and mechanism operating the valve automatically in conformity with the position of the converter; substantially as described.

6. A tipping converter having a pipe and valve supplying a cooling stream of water and mechanism operating the valve automatically in conformity with the position of the converter, and independent means for regulating the volume of the water-supply; substantially as described.

7. A tipping converter having an auxiliary heating device. and means for controlling the supply of fuel thereto automatically in conformity with the position of the converter; substantially as described;

8. A tipping converter having an auxiliary heating device, and means for controlling the supply of fuel thereto automatically in conformity with the position of the converter, and independent means for controlling the same; substantially as described.

9. A tipping converter having an auxiliary heating device, and means for controlling the supply of fuel thereto automatically in conformity with the position of the converter, and independent means for controlling the volume of the same; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands March 18, 1904.

RALPH BAGGALEY. EDWARD W. LINDQ UIST. Witnesses:

THOMAS W. BAKEWELL, MALCOLM L. MACDONALD. 

